Sussan Ley was very impressive at the National Press Club, but is she just the new Malcolm Turnbull and also in the wrong party, or is she the Thatcher down under (“Ley reveals gender equity vision”, June 26)? To select candidates, you must pick those with merit for the task of being a politician, but the hard part is deciding the meaning of merit. I believe that male and female merit lie on separate scales with not a lot of overlap. The Coalition selection panels are dominated by men at present and so see most candidates through a “male lens” and not a “female lens”. History shows a male-dominated panel in the Liberal Party looks at all the candidates and then picks the best male. Biology means that women have to raise all of their children of all genders and are better at understanding the differences. A female-dominated selection panel would pick the best candidate, female or male. Just change the make-up of the head office selection panels and quotas are not needed, which may be Sussan Ley’s plan. Time will tell if the Liberal boys’ club allows her to carry it out, but I give her a good chance of success as she appears to be our Thatcher down under. Peter Kamenyitzky, Castle Hill
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, at Parliament House in CanberraCredit: Alex Ellinghausen
Some gratuitous advice for the Liberal Party – you will never advance as long as you are encumbered by the dinosaurs in the National Party. Nuclear energy, climate change denial and misogyny are all on the nose with Australian voters. Stephanie Edwards, Leichhardt
The best thing Sussan Ley could do for the Liberal Party, and Australia, is not to try to attract more women to become aspirant members. What she should do is dissolve the Liberal Party and consign it, justly, to the dust-bin of history. Her next move, should she really want to help women and Australia, would be to found a new, slightly right-of-centre political party, open only to men and women who abjure the stupidity which, since John Howard, has typified the approaches of the Liberal Party and would allow/encourage intelligent and thinking right-of-centre people of all gender persuasions to contribute to our political debate. Ian Usman Lewis, Armidale
While Labor is still celebrating its outstanding success at the polls, I am aware of the fact that the nation needs an effective opposition that can present a different point of view. Currently, the Coalition’s very depleted ranks cannot do so with any clout. Sussan Ley may very well be the means to this. Her eloquent and very specific speech to the National Press Club represented a new vision of hope for a revival of a once-great Liberal party. As a Labor man, I expected another rehash of the opinions that caused the “smashing” of the Coalition at the election, but, instead, we were given a vision of a positive future. The government should take note of this and realise that it is facing a strong and vocal leader who could well cause it great damage in the future. Thank you, Ms Ley, for your contribution to our great democracy. Terry Charleston, Cootamundra
It seems Sussan Ley is hellbent on giving us nice and pleasant, when what conservatives really want (and need) is strong and forceful, with some accompanying decent policies. Yes, Sussan, you’re a female – we’ve noticed, but that mustn’t be reason nor excuse. You’ve had a tough life, and are now at the pinnacle of your career, but more resolve is needed. Give it a fair crack, Sussan; after all, Albo & co aren’t Goliaths in their field. Rosemary O’Brien, Ashfield
Credit: Matt Golding
Good luck to the Liberals who are trying to find the values that unite them. The only value they seem interested in is the price of the stock market. For goodness sake, countries are defined by a lot more than the out-of-date reliance on conceited and self-interested share investors. A person living in poverty couldn’t care less – there are reportedly one in six Australians living in poverty and the market place does nothing. John Rome, Mt Lawley (WA)
Good on Ms Ley for trying to lift the Liberal Party into the gutter. That’s a good start and, hopefully, over time, sunshine may cleanse much of what ails them. My query is why the “broad church” is so fixated on “agnostic” solutions. Let’s hope the example of a recent “technology agnostic” NBN, that has ended up a monumental botch-job, doesn’t indicate the path from the same people and mindset who trashed Australia’s communication backbone. Denis Cartledge, Tenterfield
Where is Angus? Merilyn McClung, Forestville
A Nobel or a Trump?
What’s the bet (“Behind the fury, it’s clear what president wants”, June 26) that Donald Trump doesn’t get the Nobel Peace Prize for dropping the biggest bombs in history on Iran and achieving no peace anywhere, including in his own country. He’ll insist he won it “bigly” and it’s been stolen from him. Karoline Leavitt will then denounce the actual winner as a non-achieving nobody, and the prize committee as a bunch of low-down losers? Mickey Pragnell, Kiama
I wonder how long it will take for Trump to create his own ″Trump Peace Prize″ and award it to himself. Maybe he’ll invent a whole Order of Trump and hand out awards to all of those peacekeeping convicted criminals who stormed the Capitol and he pardoned on his first day in office. The possibilities are endless. Donna Wiemann, Balmain
Let’s give Trump a Nobel Peace Prize on the condition that he shuts up and goes away. Tim Schroder, Gordon
Daddy call
I woke this morning for my compulsory dose of world madness via the Herald. Please tell me that I misread the item “NATO secretary-general calls Trump ‘Daddy‴ (“NATO chief calls Donald Trump ’daddy‴ , smh.com.au, June 26)? Time to turn the lights off. George Cotis, Gymea
I wish “Daddy” would use the F-word on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu again, and tell him to get the IDF out of Gaza now, so a ceasefire and hostage release could follow. Elizabeth Vickers, Maroubra
Survivor account
I am 88 years old, and survived years of inhumane persecution as a child prisoner of war under the Japanese military occupation of Indonesia (“Amid talk of truce is a sense of regret”, June 26). I share the legitimate concerns of “pro-Palestinian activists” here about the Israeli government’s deliberate destruction of the ancestral lands of the Palestinian people, the spread of its military war to neighbouring sovereign nations, and especially to the horrific, obscene mass murder of tens of thousands of innocent men women and children. Labor’s “moderate policy” offends me because the carnage and deaths continue. Have we, as a diverse nation of migrant people from all over the world, really taken a moral stand, and all action possible to stop this genocide? Art Geissler, Chapel Hill (Qld)
Bring on the stricter road rules
There are a number of widely flouted and seemingly never policed road rules (“Higher fines, lower speed limits: All the changes coming for Australian motorists”, smh.com.au, June 26) which also merit attention. These include cycling on footpaths (particularly by e-bike delivery riders), ignoring 10kmh speed limits in shared pedestrian zones, not stopping at stop signs, and three-point turns across solid/double white lines. Lewis Kaplan, Birchgrove
Won’t somebody please think of the roads?
Higher fines and lower speeds on our roads are music to my pedestrian ears. It’s getting worse by the day out there, and the rising death toll proves it. Let’s hope there is an increased police presence enforcing our increasingly ignored road rules. Those on foot (invisible, and of no concern to drivers) rely on cars completely stopping when pedestrian crossings are not available. Road rules only work if they are enforced. John Kingsmill, Fairlight
The changes to road rules effective from July 1 are a stark and necessary reminder that when driving around our streets, many of us in large, high-powered vehicles, we are in control of a lethal weapon. I hate the thought of being watched by cameras everywhere I drive, but I continue to remind myself that these are safety monitors, employed for the protection of all road users, including myself. Meredith Williams, Baulkham Hills
Budget bargaining
The “special appropriation for Treasurer” Daniel Mookhey (“Noble’ Labor’s Achilles heel? Hubris”, June 26) is $550 million more than last year and that’s attributable to the looming purchase of the troubled Northern Beaches Hospital. Given that bargaining power is negligible where a sale is certain and it’s to a single buyer, the price should be set by an independent valuer and not a court. This would stymie protracted negotiations and Mr Mookhey paying too much due to inevitable opposition pressure to “get it done”, despite the Coalition’s ideological reverie creating the problem when in government. Andrew Cohen, Glebe
Daniel Mookhey wonders what to do with all that moneyCredit: Nine News
Times have changed, driven by climate change. Look at the unexpected disasters in NSW during the current government: Eugowra, Lismore, Taree, etc have all required significant government funding for people in need and civic recovery. Having a discretionary fund on hand to allow the government to respond quickly to the next disaster looks like sensible management to me. But if they start using it for car parks and swimming pools just before the next election, they will deserve all the opprobrium state political editor Alexandra Smith can dish out. Alan Stanley, Upper Corindi
Tax carbon, not EVs
EV owners should be highly commended on reducing their carbon footprint (“How will Mookhey use $860m pot?” , June 26). Instead, the state government plans to punish them with a road user tax when a carbon tax is what’s needed. A tax that the rich couldn’t avoid via family trusts and offshore accounts because it’s embedded. The heaviest emitter of greenhouse gas are private jets and luxury yachts, and the vehicles that are most destructive to roads are trucks, by a country mile. So, by all means, let the user pay, but stop scapegoating and gouging the middle class, which is doing its best to keep the planet habitable for everyone. Anne Matheson, Gordon
I agree with your correspondent (Letters, June 26) that the proposed road user charges for EVs should also include internal combustion vehicles, provided the current fuel excise is dropped. However, his suggestion that it be “extended to all road users” may prove difficult for lollipop ladies to enforce at pedestrian crossings. Col Burns, Lugarno
Glaring contradiction
It would be difficult to find truer words than those of Ken Henry when he says “environmental constraints are immutable. Breach too many of them and humanity ceases to exist” (Letters, June 26). Right now, we are breaching one of the biggest of those constraints – the safe level of atmospheric CO2. Scientists regard this as 350 parts per million, but we are above 420 ppm. The good news is that the biggest emitter in the world – China – is now on a downwards trajectory regarding CO2. But other nations are dragging the chain – Australia among them. We cannot criticise these nations for burning fossil fuels when we are selling them the fuels in the first place. At some point, we have to reconcile this glaring contradiction. Ken Enderby, Concord
“Nature is critical to productivity,” says Ken Henry. How correct he is. Ballina is at the “arse end” of the very sick Richmond River catchment. Oyster and river prawn industries have disappeared. Finally, a well-researched and documented 2023 NSW government “Richmond River Floodplain Prioritisation Study” identified “blackwater” as the broad issue spanning disaster management, flood mitigation, land-use planning and climate change adaptation. If the $70 million, 2 Stage initiative “Operation Recovery; Richmond River” is implemented, according to the NSW government 2023 cost-benefit analysis, the result will be a 340 per cent benefit over costs for the regional economy. Malcolm Johnson, Alstonville
Let kids be kids
Encouraging our pre-school children to increase their skills, and recognising benchmarks of achievement before starting school may appear a positive step forward (“The kindy skills that lead to success”, June 26). However, concerns should be raised for young children being placed into increased competitive expectations at an age as early as four, where anxiety can develop in both child and parents. There is a need for fun in early education where skills can develop at the appropriate time. Natural play development, fun in learning and socialising and a joy in attending school at this age determines real success. Janice Creenaune, Austinmer
Count your blessings
Oh! Jenna, to quote Malcolm Fraser: “Life wasn’t meant to be easy” (“I’m a doomscrolling news junkie, so I consulted an expert”, June 26). Irrespective, mindful of your warranted despair, surely it behoves all of us to count our blessings? Edward Loong, Milsons Point
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